Two leading UK Parkinson’s charities shared positive research updates on April 21, 2026

Out of my radio this morning came news from Parkinson’s UK about research which may lead to early diagnosis of Parkinson’s even before symptoms make an appearance.

 The research showed that certain changes in the gut biome - an increasing focus of interest - differentiated people with Parkinson’s from the rest of the population, News.Az reports, citing Rory Cellan-Jones.

Even more interesting, they found that people with the GBA1 gene that is associated with Parkinson’s but who had yet to develop symptoms of the condition, had the same pattern of gut microbe changes. Researchers trying to understand Parkinson’s and thereby find a way to halt its progression need a way to pinpoint people at the very early stages of the disease.

This research could provide them with the biomarker they have been looking for. Of even more interest to people living with Parkinson’s, the research opens up the possibility that changing your diet could have a material effect on your symptoms.

Yesterday at one of Cure Parkinson’s regular research updates, there was more good news. The session focused on inflammation of the brain as a potential cause of Parkinson’s and we heard from researchers trying to address this. Dr Sinead O’Sullivan from a German research institute told us about carnosic acid, found in rosemary and sage. Her experiments with mice had shown that it could lead to a decrease in inflammation, with the effect greater for females than males.

Another presentation from Cambridge’ s Dr Caroline Williams-Gray took us through a clinical trial of an immunosuppressive drug called azathioprine to see if it could slow the progression of Parkinson’s by suppressing the immune system in the brain. The trial failed to meet its primary end point - the target chosen by the researchers in advance. But many participants did show improvements in their motor symptoms and what was notable was that there was a greater effect for women than men.

The lessons from that research are being taken forward in a phase two clinical trial of another immunosuppressive drug dapansutrile. Dr. Williams-Gray told us that what the researchers were learning was that inflammation happened in different ways to different people, and that convinced them that what would be needed was much more targeted therapy.

What impressed me about the way both charities presented their news was that they were careful to avoid hype. On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Claire Bale from Parkinson’s UK emphasised that new research on the gut biome would take quite a while, while encouraging people to think positively about their diet in the meantime.

And the clear message from the Cure Parkinson’s research update was that we’re still at an early stage in understanding how to combat inflammation of the brain. We are all impatient for change, but science takes time. It also takes money, so it would be great to see the pharmaceuticals industry putting some more investment into these promising avenues of research.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova